RFK Jr.-Appointed CDC Panel Votes on Flu, RSV, Thimerosal Vaccines

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reshaped the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), dismissing the previous 17 expert members and appointing eight new members, several of whom hold anti-vaccine views. The upcoming ACIP meeting will focus on voting for recommendations concerning influenza and RSV vaccines, including those for pregnant women and children, but has notably omitted votes on COVID-19, HPV, and meningococcal vaccines, which had been previously scheduled. A significant agenda item is the reconsideration of flu vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal, a mercury-based compound wrongfully linked to autism by the anti-vaccine movement, despite extensive scientific evidence disproving such claims. This shift in priorities and the inclusion of anti-vaccine perspectives have raised concerns among health experts about undermining established vaccine policies and public confidence. Critics worry that the committee's focus on settled science topics and debunked controversies may reflect an agenda that fosters vaccine fear rather than protecting public health. The situation marks a departure from the evidence-based approach to vaccine recommendations traditionally upheld by the ACIP.